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War Bears
The largest slaver gang in the Detroit Wastelands, the War Bears are a constant threat due to their love of physical violence. Under their leader Man Beast they rose to the ranks of Detroit’s most powerful Raider gangs. However, they were eventually destroyed in the so-called Slavers’ War between the gang and its two rivals. History The War Bears were one of the gangs that rose to power in the vacuum created by the fall of the Hellfire Gang. First appearing in 2267, the War Bears carved out a chunk of the former gang’s territory, taking over much of their Slaving operations for themselves. The malaise that the Hellfire gang had sunk into meant that they were unaware of what was going on until it was too late, and by then, the newly emerged War Bears were too powerful to displace. Under their first leader, Rod Johnson, the War Bears expanded quickly across the east side of the Detroit Wasteland, taking territories from other gangs while forcing them out of the slaver business. This bought them into conflict early on with the Gentlemen, who at the time were the city’s oldest and most established Slaver group and couldn’t stand the idea of competition. The two gangs fought a war that wound up pushing the Gentlemen back on a number of fronts before they accepted defeat and opted to pull back from the fight. The War Bears took numerous captives during the conflict, all of which were then sold as slaves as an object lesson to their enemies. The War Bears’ greatest advance would come about by accident in 2274 when they raided a settlement for a number of slaves. One of their captives, a particularly strong and capable man, demanded that he be allow to join the gang. Black Hammer, the then leader of the War Bears, was impressed by his bravery, and allowed him the chance, provided he survive a particularly brutal initiation. Not only did he do such, but he bested his opponents and everything else the gang threw at him, forcing Black Hammer to acknowledge him as one of theirs. This new gang member, now known as Man Beast, proved to be very much a valuable asset. Aggressive and ruthless, he pushed the gang forwards into new territories, mounting more determined and punishing raids and taking more prisoners to resell. Man Beast would eventually rise to lead the gang after Black Hammer’s death, challenging his only rival to a battle for control of it and easily killing him in the ring. In the process of doing such, he gained the War Bears’ respect. This new gang member, now known as Man Beast, proved to be very much a valuable asset. Aggressive and ruthless, he pushed the gang forwards into new territories, mounting more determined and punishing raids and taking more prisoners to resell. Man Beast would eventually rise to lead the gang after Black Hammer’s death, challenging his only rival to a battle for control of it and easily killing him in the ring. In the process of doing such, he gained the War Bears’ respect. Under Man Beast, the War Bears became the city’s unquestioned top Slaver gang. They pushed aside the Gentlemen, and also managed to keep the nascent Shackles subdued and in their place. In the process, something of a rivalry formed between Man Beast and Andrea Furey, the Shackles’ leader, who took something of a dislike to him. Motown Pirate Radio’s annual rankings put the War Bears consistently as the city’s number four Raider gang throughout the 2280s, leaving them just behind the twin powerhouses of the Wrecking Crew and Cake or Death. Things began to become unravelled in early 2287 when the War Bears were the target of a number of well-coordinated attacks that damaged their operations. Man Beast suspected that either the Shackles or the Gentlemen were behind the attacks, seeking to weaken his gang and push them out of the slaving business. In retaliation, he lead a series of attacks against both gangs, aimed at punishing then for their perceived transgressions. These lead to retaliatory attacks, and only served to escalate the situation. Seeing what was happening, Hugh Janus, the leader of the Gentlemen, approached Man Beast with an offer to parlay. He explained that he and his men were not responsible for the attacks, and that the likely culprits were, instead, the Shackles. Man Beast took all of this on board, then proceeded to snap Janus’ neck and have the rest of his group killed. They then staged a massive attack on the Gentlemen’s territories that wound up inflicting considerable casualties while pushing the gang back. The next few months saw an escalating three-way conflict between the three slaver gangs as each fought not only to wipe out the others but also to stay alive in the face of what was becoming ever increasingly merciless opposition. By June of 2287 the War Bears had managed to drive the Gentlemen back to a small corridor, defined largely by the hotel that was their headquarters. A slave revolt finished the rival gang off, but the ongoing conflict with the Shackles meant that they could not capitalise on this turn of fortune In early July, a fire broke out in the Shackles headquarters that saw it destroyed. Enraged and blaming them for the attack, the remaining Shackles engaged in a desperate, frenzied, do-or-die assault on the War Bears’ holdings. By the time the battle was done, the last of the Shackles were dead or broken, effectively destroying the gang. However, the War Bears were also severely depleted, leaving them weak and unable to hold onto their newly expanded territories. The War Bears would not get a chance to exploit their victory. Over the next week, the remnants of the gang were targeted by a series of attacks that wiped out their remaining numbers and destroyed what assets they had left while liberating their remaining slaves. Man Beast was the last of the gang to die, cut down by the leader of the mercenary group that had instigated the conflict in the first place. Description The War Bears are a large raider gang, one that specialises in the capture and enslavement of individuals and then their resale to other parties. Their primary income comes from both this cruel commerce and, of course, any plunder that they might take from their own operations. The War Bears are unusual in that, unlike their rivals, they only take male slaves for reasons that they have never fully explained. Furthermore, they tend to focus on the most physically strong and powerful potential captives. None the less, this pattern seems to have been successful for them as they became the most powerful of the Detroit slaver gangs. Within the gang there is a strong culture of aggressive competition between members. Disputes are solved through physical combat, with the winner being declared “right” by default. These battles are rarely to the death, with one party or the other usually yielding; however, the more severe the matter, the more likely the fight is to be to the death. In theory, anyone could challenge the gang’s leader for control, but only if they are willing to risk being maimed, mutilated or killed in the process. Obviously, this means the gang is led by those who are the most aggressive and willing to risk themselves for their success. Locations Like the other Detroit slaver gangs, the War Bears largely operated on the eastern side of the ruined city, away from the territories of the other major gangs. Much of their territory was carved up from turf formerly occupied by the Hellfire gang, much like the War Bears also took over their slaving operations. The War Bears are very aggressive in the defence of their territory, and will attack and capture or kill anyone who they found trespassing. The headquarters of the gang is in an old gymnasium in the middle of their territory. The building has survived largely intact, even if it has become somewhat decrepit and run down over the years. However, it is still standing (which is more than can be said for many other buildings in the area) and providing shelter it also gives them training facilities and a sparring arena, as well as an armoury. Slaves are housed in nearby buildings, under secure guard. Equipment The War Bears generally favoured close combat, and this preference was reflected in their arsenal. Their members preferred to carry melee weapons, be they purpose designed ones (swords, machetes, clubs, knives and so on) or improvised ones (lead pipes, pool cues, rolling pins and the like). However, they were not so tactically irresponsible to completely eschew firearms; however, their guns were relegated more to being supporting elements then their main arsenal. The War Bears preferred leather armour over other types; in fact, members of the gang would sometimes wear leather armour and nothing else. Chem usage was common among the gang’s members, with performance enhancing chems such as Buffout and Psycho being especially frequent. For a while, the gang had a trade deal with Baggie High that guaranteed them a regular supply until it was conquered by the Army of Revolution. Notable Members Man Beast The last leader of the War Bears, Man Beast was originally Richard Chaser, a slave captured in a raid. Brave (or foolish) enough to challenge a member of the gang, he managed to survive their punishing initiation and become a gull fledged member of the War Bears. Working his way up their ranks, he would eventually became the leader of the organisation and was responsible for much of its rise to prominence in the 2280s. Extremely aggressive and violent even by their standards, Man Beast ruled through an iron fist, intimidating those who served under him and physically destroying those that would not back down. Thanks to the gang’s culture, this approach won him no small degree of admiration from his followers, cementing his position. However, his brutal nature would eventually escalate the war between the slaver gangs, resulting in their mutual destruction. Category:Raiders Category:Slavers Category:Groups Category:Michigan Category:Defunct